


times they have forgotten

by orphan_account



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: 176 is going to hurt me I know it so I wrote this, Comfort Reading, F/F, Fluff, M/M, No beta we die like one(1) Jonathan Sims, Reading Aloud, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), Sharing a Bed, Thunderstorms, Vignette, they deserve happiness Jonny :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "I want to feel like this forever," Martin whispers into Jon's skin, and Jon laughs because that's what he had been thinking, too.*"Could you read to me?"Basira looks at Daisy, eyebrows raising slightly. "You want me to read to you?"
Relationships: Basira Hussain/Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	times they have forgotten

The bedroom is a pleasant sort of cool with comforting patches of warmth where the sun shines through the window. Wrapped in feather-soft blankets and pressed against the one he loves, Jon doesn't want to move. Even Martin's obnoxious snoring is relaxing. The deep breaths that cause Martin's chest to rise and fall and sometimes accidentally rouse Jon from his sleep. It's all too much, in the gentlest way.

Jon closes his eyes and lets himself drift away into his thoughts. 

Time passes as he grows warmer, and Martin shifts and rolls in bed. He's going to be awake soon, he Knows, but it's nice to let Martin wake up on his own. 

There's a sudden snort before the snoring comes to a stop. Then a sleepy sounding grumble. 

Jon is still wrapped in Martin's arms as they dip towards the center of the bed. 

Martin's trying to tug his arms free, but he's only able to successfully get one. The other is trapped underneath Jon's hip. A chuckle escapes him as Martin groans in defeat. 

Jon, feeling generous, rolls off of Martin's arm, and shifts to get a proper look at his partner. 

Martin's lying on his back, hands covering his eyes in a feeble attempt to block out the sun. His hair is mused, and Jon Knows it's going to be a pain to brush out the knots that have formed overnight. He's saying something, but Jon is a _bit_ distracted, and he doesn't really want to Know what he's saying. 

Then, Martin moves his hands from his eyes and sees Jon looking at him. The smile that is directed towards Jon is enough to send a surge of happiness throughout his entire being. Jon smiles back and leans forward towards Martin. 

"Hello, love," he greets, gently bumping their foreheads together. The sweater he’s slept in is still soft, and also warm from the body wearing it. Martin laughs, already wrapping his arms around Jon again. 

They stay in that position for a while, arms tangled together in an embrace only they will get to experience. No other words needing to be spoken between them. It's so warm and soft and safe, Jon doesn't want to leave this.

"I want to feel like this forever," Martin whispers into Jon's skin, and Jon laughs because that's what he had been thinking, too.

* * *

The night was as dreary as a London night could get. Rain fell in heavy sheets, drumming long-forgotten songs against the city. A storm's distant roar mixed beautifully with the cacophony of traffic as people tried to rush back to their flats and out of the weather. 

For Basira, it's the perfect sound to read to.

She's sitting back in her recliner, gently rocking as she thumbs through the fantasy book she had picked up on the way home. It's not her usual genre, but Daisy had mentioned the book once, and she couldn't help but feed the gnawing curiosity the offhanded comment had given her. 

It's a good book so far. Although, Basira doesn't quite catch some of the references since she had never read the prequel series. 

There’s thunder above head that rumbles, like a wolf that's forcing an insubordinate to submit, and it's enough to draw Basira out of the book's universe. 

Suddenly, the creeping unease of being watched hits Basira. She's gotten used to the subtle watching of Elias while at the Institute, and sometimes on the way home, but she had never felt it this intrusive. In her own home. 

It's enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck.

Basira pauses and looks up. 

Daisy looks back.

She's laying on the loveseat opposite of the coffee table. There's a pile of blankets and pillows on it that definitely weren't there when Basira had first started reading. She yawns, and Basira has to resist the urge to yawn in tandem. 

Daisy notices the attention she's gained, and she ducks her head to avoid Basira's questioning glance. The blankets shift as she nestles into the makeshift nest. Basira sighs.

Then, she's reading again. 

Basira can’t help but empathize with one of the Native American characters. She’s had similar experiences in her life, too.

The clap of thunder and a brief flash of lightning isn't what snaps Basira's concentration. It's the smallest whimper that follows. Blankets muffle the sound, making it almost impossible to hear, but Basira manages to catch it. 

Basira looks up from the book. 

Daisy does not look back. 

Her head is tucked into the blankets, clutching them like a lifeline. 

Basira pauses, watching Daisy intently. Daisy shifts in the blankets, quietly snarling to herself. When the rain begins to beat heavier, more intense, Basira realizes that she must have been staring for a while now.

With more hesitance than necessary, Basira picks up her book and gets off the recliner. 

"Daisy?" 

Oh, she desperately hopes that Daisy wasn't asleep. 

Apparently, she hadn't been. She shifts underneath the bundles of blankets, uncovering herself enough to peer at Basira. Her hastily-chopped hair sticks up at odds and ends, which probably hasn’t been brushed since yesterday morning. Wearing Basira's sweater makes her look so much smaller than she should be. 

Her eyes are also red-rimmed, but Basira ignores it. 

"Can I sit beside you?" she asks instead. She's holding the book close to the chest, ready to go back to the recliner if Daisy declines her. 

The way Daisy looks up at her makes Basira want to frown, but she refrains from letting it show.

Daisy bites the inside of her cheek before responding. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice, please."

Basira steps closer to the loveseat.

Daisy pulls the blankets back so that Basira can sit down. Individually, they aren't too thick, but with the amount that Daisy managed to gather, they weigh down almost uncomfortably. She hands Basira the pillow she had been laying her head on. 

"For your back," Daisy says and looks away, almost shy. Basira lets out a grateful hum. She had completely forgotten that she had told Daisy about her back problems. 

When she's finally adjusted, pillow behind her back, blankets across her knees, and book in her lap, Basira opens where she had left off. 

She’s about to begin when she feels Daisy hovering beside her, almost touching. "Is that _The Lost Hero_?" 

"Yeah. I picked it up this afternoon." She turns a page, "It's pretty good for a kid's book."

In her peripheral vision, Basira can see Daisy shift, so that she's leaning against the arm of the loveseat. 

"Could you read to me?"

Basira looks at Daisy, eyebrows raising slightly. "You want me to read to you?"

Around them, the storm rages on. Thunder and rain and the London traffic filling the flat with noise.

"If you didn't mind? I— I mean. I understand if you don't want to." She's picking at her nails again.

Daisy's throat bobs, and she looks towards the flat's window. "It's hard to sleep during thunderstorms. It's too...loud. It's too loud and distracting."

Basira moves the blankets so she can place her hand on Daisy's knee. She tries to seem comforting. "Do you want me to start from the beginning or from where I left off?" 

"You can go from where you left off."

She hums, nodding slightly. Then, Basira clears her throat.

" _The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun_." Basira pauses, breathing in deeply and then out again. " _The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors..._ " 

As Basira begins to read, Daisy shifts closer and closer to her. By the time she's at the end of the chapter, Daisy is leaning her head against Basira's shoulder, eyes fluttering open and closed. 

Her voice grows hoarser and Daisy's breathing evens. 

When Basira stops, Daisy is fast asleep.

Basira, careful to not disturb Daisy, leans forward and places the book on the coffee table.

For a moment, she just closes her eyes and revels in the storm's song and the weight of Daisy resting beside her. She's glad that her girlfriend is comfortable enough to sleep beside her. To fall asleep next to her, knowing that she's watching out for her. 

She knows they probably need to get ready for bed properly, but for just right now, it's nice to have her head clear and to just drift.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry it's short. To anyone out there, have a good day/night :)


End file.
